PIENZA, TUSCANY, ITALY

PODERE IL CASALE

An Organic Farm.

Podere il Casale is a dream come true for Sandra and Ulisse. Originally from Zurich, Switzerland, the couple with their young family moved in 1991 to a farm on top of a hill overlooking the Val d'Orcia situated between Pienza and Montepulciano. It has been a labor of love ever since.

VISITING PODERE IL CASALE

www.podereilcasale.com

Anxious to share their love of the land, Sandra and Ulisse opened their doors to the public with guided tours of the farm and cheesemaking process. Cooking classes are held in the family's stone house proudly using the farm's local ingredients and passionately taught by Sandra.

‍

Visitors can enjoy a farm-to-table lunch or dinner at the restaurant, which features fresh, organic, seasonal ingredients picked by hand straight from their garden paired with organic wines.

Being in the heart of Italy,

we could not resist the opportunity to learn the art of pizza making.

Podere il Casale offers cooking classes using fresh organic ingredients harvested and produced at their farm. Sandra, the owner, taught our class. Her enthusiasm and reverence immediately smote us for the land beneath our feet.

‍

The course was a labor of love, after which we ate our creations set out on the beautiful terrace with a spectacular view of the Val d'Orcia and the hilltop town of Pienza. Lunch included a salad of organic greens, a cheese, and a charcuterie board of the farm's pecorino cheeses and cured meats paired with Podere il Casale's rosé wine.

‍

An authentic farm-to-table experience!

HOW TO MAKE PIZZA DOUGH

In pizza, we crust!

It all starts with creating the dough made with Italian "OO" flour. High in protein and finely ground, this flour lends itself to making the best thin crust. Aprons on and ready to bury our hands into the flour, Sandra guided us through the simple steps. First, mix the flour and activated yeast, followed by kneading the dough to make it smooth and elastic to form a ball. While the dough was rising, we took the tour of the grounds, made friends with goats and sheep, and then went to the milking facility and the cheese production center.

‍

COOK AND DRESS PIZZA

After the tour, it was now time to roll out our dough and dress it with our favorite toppings. Sandra instructed us how to roll out the dough using our hands to create a thin crust. Tomato sauce was spooned on top and dotted with cubes of pecorino cheese. Using a wooden peel, the pizza was slipped into the wood-burning oven to cook for 60-90 seconds, allowing the crust to crisp to perfection. Once cooked, we created our signature pizza using a choice of cured meats, artichokes, olives, and fresh basil.